Mar 9, 2021
Many of our patients grow up never seeing a character that looks like themselves in a book. In fact, research suggests that 75% of characters in children’s books are white. Being able to relate to a character in a book helps entice our early readers that reading is fun and link themselves to the story. Seeing ones-self as the lead character of a book gives our patients an idea of what they might become. Diversity in literature matters. In today’s Resident Files episode, we discuss an initiative called Just Like Us Books that pediatric residents at Children’s Hospital Colorado have launched.
Our guests for today's episode are all PGY3 pediatric residents at Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine: Alexis Ball, MD; Katelyn Soares, MD and Ariel Porto, MD.
Books included in Just Like Us Project:
List of books we like with some broad categories that we were thinking about for inclusivity:
Inclusive books - characters from all types of backgrounds
Inclusive families: parents who look different
Black/African/African American
LatinX/Hispanic
Indigenou/Native American
Immigrants/Refugees
Disability
Gender/Sexual Orientation Diversity
Different religions/culture (some overlap with immigrants/refugees)
Anti-bias/Activism
Emotions
Do you have thoughts about today's episode or suggestions for a future topic? Write to us, chartingpediatrics@childrenscolorado.org